Pastor Simeon Outten and Patricia Moore announce the commemoration service for Jamaican Independence. (Photo: Vandyke Hepburn/BIS)

AS their country celebrated 54 years of Independence on Saturday, Jamaicans residing in Grand Bahama commemorated the anniversary with a “Jamaican style” worship service yesterday morning at the New Life Worship Centre on Coral Road. Dudley Francis, a Jamaican engineer and associate pastor of Calvary Temple Church, officiated.

Members of the Jamaican Association celebrated, worshipped and fellowshipped together and a taste of authentic Jamaican cuisine followed during a meet and greet after the service.

There are some 5,000 Jamaicans living in Grand Bahama according to the representative/assistant for the Jamaican consulate on the island, Lenworth Smith, who is a retired accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Freeport.

“We invite all Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica on Grand Bahama and Sweeting’s Cay to come and celebrate with us on this 54 year of independence,” Mr. Smith told The Tribune. “As one who was there (in Jamaica) in 1962, and I am sure there are others here who were there in ‘62, it does mean a lot to us.”

Mr. Smith commended Patricia Moore, chairman of the Jamaican Association in Grand Bahama, for organising this year’s event.

Ms. Moore said invitations had been extended to Jamaican National Security Minister Robert Montague and Jamaican Consul General in the Bahamas, Patrick Hanlan, in New Providence. She said Jamaicans work in all areas of the Grand Bahama community as teachers, nurses, domestic helpers, engineers and mechanics.

“A lot of us are here and we want to invite the GB community to come and worship with us,” she said. “We have some dynamic dancers and it is going to be a celebration as we will worship in our Jamaican reggae style.”

Mr. Smith said he has lived in the Bahamas since the early 1970s as a chartered accountant with Pricewater houseCoopers for many years before retiring. He assists the Jamaican consular office with all passport and diplomatic matters on Grand Bahama.

He reported that since new immigration rules came into effect in November, 2014, requiring all non-Bahamians to have a passport of their birth country, the children born to Jamaican mothers who are not married to their Bahamian fathers are considered Jamaicans under Bahamian law, and 380 applications of certificate of citizenship by descent have been received to date in Grand Bahama.

Mr. Smith said that there are also Bahamians with Jamaican roots in Grand Bahama. “The patriarch of the Garvey family in West End is a first cousin of our first national hero, the Right Honourable Marcus Mosia Garvey,” he said.

Senior Pastor Simeon Outten, of New Life Worship Centre, said he was pleased to be hosting their Jamaican friends for this special independence service. “As you know we celebrated our Independence last month and so want persons to come and support our Jamaicans brothers and sisters on Sunday,” he said.

By Denise Maycock, Tribune Freeport Reporter

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